Process measurement devices and techniques are used in a wide variety of environments for commercial and industrial applications. For example, process measurement devices and techniques may be used for monitoring pressure, temperature, and/or flow rate in pipelines or storage facilities. In many of these environments and applications, it is not uncommon for a process measurement device or technique to have difficulty in accessing an external power supply. Also, for environments and applications that require intrinsically safe devices or techniques, external power supplies are commonly disfavored. Thus, process measurement devices and techniques that do not require an external power supply are often quite beneficial.
Process measurement devices and techniques may generate their own power by any of a variety of methods. For example, a process measurement device may have an internal power supply (e.g., a battery). As another example, a process measurement device may generate power from the measured process, by using a small amount of momentum, for instance.